Sorry I have been MIA last few weeks took a long vacation, BUT I am back. I’ll start reaching to sources again start and updating.

If you are not on Twitter you missed an eventful evening. Jeff Traylor had a tweet (below) claiming that P5 programs were reaching out to UTSA's underclassmen wanting them to enter the tranfer portal. I have heard, but not confirmed that programs in the PAC 12 & SEC have reached out to running back Kevorian Barnes and linebacker Trey Moore with significant NIL offers.

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If you could add two more players from the portal which positions are you aiming to fill?

In a perfect world I’d find a starting center and free safety.

Let’s get this thread going early. UTSA is expected to sign 20 HS/JUCO/transfer players tomorrow. Here is who is expected and a few targets.

Signed
QB Jackson Gilkey
QB Owen McCown
WR David Amador
WR Jamel Hardy
WR Devin McCuin
TE Patrick Overmyer
TE Devin Scura
RB Brandon High
RB Robert Henry
RB Rocko Griffin
DL Jameian Buxton
DL Vic Shaw
OL Cory Godinet
OL Etueni Ropati
OL Buffalo Kruize
OL Daniel Ogundipe
DB Kam Alexander
CB Jakevian Rodgers
CB Davin Martin
WLB Nnanna Anyanwu
WLB James Walley

Commits
LB Rodney Groce
DB Marcellus Wilkerson

Targets
DB Taylor Starling
WR Willie McCoy

Details coming.

We do this every yea, and this should be a fun one. Lot's of folk deserving.

Team MVP shouldn't be repeated in O or D MVP.

Team MVP:
Offensive MVP:
Defensive MVP:
O Most Improved
D Most Improved:
Surprise Player:
Favorite Game:
Favorite Play:

Our RB room for 2023 looks deep and unknown:

Kevorian Barnes - R-So
Justin Rodriguez- JR
Kaedric Cobbs - JR
Jaylon Lott - JR
De'Anthony Lewis - RS-Fr/Sop?
Brandon High - Likely RS?
Rocco Griffen - JR
Robert Henry - ?
*Did I miss anyone?

Assuming Barnes stays put, who do think spells him going into 2023? Also does Lewis get another medical red shirt?

Former SHSU CB Kam Alexander signs with the good guys. Big pick up. Could be a day 1 starter for us replacing Corey.

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No 22 UTSA to face No. 23/24 Troy in Duluth Trading Cure Bowl on Dec. 16



SAN ANTONIO — No. 22-ranked and Conference USA champion UTSA will make its third consecutive and fourth overall bowl game appearance when it travels to Orlando, Florida, to face No. 23/24 Troy in the Duluth Trading Cure Bowl on Friday, Dec. 16. Kickoff is set for 3 p.m. Eastern/2 p.m. Central time at Exploria Stadium and the game will be televised nationally on ESPN.



“It’s an honor to accept this invitation to the Cure Bowl, and we’re looking forward to all of Roadrunner Nation making the trip to Orlando for this exciting matchup with Troy,” said UTSA Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics Lisa Campos. “Jeff Traylor has taken our football program to new heights and this matchup on ESPN will be a chance for the rest of the country to see what UTSA is all about. Our student-athletes, coaches, staff and everyone involved with the program have made our university and the city of San Antonio proud this season, and this bowl game is a tremendous reward for all of their hard work and dedication.”



Under the direction of third-year head coach Jeff Traylor, the Roadrunners improved to 11-2 with a 48-27 victory over North Texas in the C-USA Championship Game on Dec. 2, securing their second straight league title in front of 41,412 fans, the third-largest home crowd in program history. UTSA and Troy (11-2), the Sun Belt Conference champion, both are riding 10-game winning streaks, tied for the third-longest active streak in the FBS.



“I couldn’t be more excited for our players to get to travel to one of the premier bowl destinations in the country in Orlando and play a fellow top-25 team and conference champion in Troy in the Cure Bowl,” Traylor said. “We’re thrilled about the matchup and the platform to showcase UTSA and the 210 Triangle of Toughness brand on national TV on the opening day of bowl season. It’s been an unbelievable season of overcoming adversity to achieve success and break records, and now there is an opportunity to get one more first for our school — a bowl win.”



This will be the first meeting between UTSA and Troy. It also will mark the second time in the last three years that the Roadrunners will play a Sun Belt team in a bowl game (Louisiana, 2020 First Responder Bowl), and the third consecutive bowl matchup against a top-25 team.



UTSA fans can purchase bowl tickets online here to sit in the UTSA sections. All Cure Bowl tickets will be mobile.



“On behalf of the Orlando Sports Foundation, we are honored to welcome Troy and UTSA to the Duluth Trading Cure Bowl,” said Orlando Sports Foundation CEO and Duluth Trading Cure Bowl Executive Director Alan Gooch. “Gameday is going to be special as college football fans, cancer survivors and supporters, both team’s bands and the Orlando Community come together at Church Street Station for the March 2Cure before heading to Exploria Stadium to watch the Trojans compete against the Roadrunners.”



“The Duluth Trading Cure Bowl remains committed to bringing teams together to find a cure for cancer,” said Orlando Sports Foundation President Ray Bastin. “Troy and UTSA will carry on our tradition of raising awareness for cancer research.”



UTSA played in its first bowl game in just its sixth season — tying an NCAA startup program record — against New Mexico at the 2016 New Mexico Bowl in Albuquerque. The Lobos built a 10-point lead and held on for a 23-20 win on a cold and windy afternoon at University Stadium.



The Roadrunners nearly completed a comeback against No. 16 Louisiana in the 2020 First Responder Bowl at Gerald J. Ford Stadium in Dallas. UTSA rallied from a 24-7 deficit to tie the game, only to see the Ragin’ Cajuns score a late touchdown and escape with a 31-24 victory.



UTSA met No. 24 San Diego State in the Frisco Bowl on Dec. 21, 2021. The Aztecs pulled away late for a 38-24 victory in the Roadrunners’ third all-time bowl appearance.



-UTSA-

Last week was a solid week for recruiting let’s see if they sustain momentum.

This one will count until Tuesday morning.

Over/Under: 1 commitment

The football staff will race back to San Antonio after the bowl game tomorrow to host a group of recruits. I will update as I confirm names.

TARGETS
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TRANSFERS
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Let’s see the final game predictions.

Opening line: Pick’em
Over/Under: 53.5

Harris overall 340.5
Franklin 78 yrds receiving
Cephus 8.5 receptions
Oscar 25.5 yrds receiving
Barnes 72.5 yds rushing

UTSA will a large number of recruits this weekend for their officials:

COMMITS
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Harris chosen as finalist for Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award



TYLER, Texas — UTSA senior Frank Harris has been named a finalist for the Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award.



Harris joins Max Duggan (TCU), Bijan Robinson (Texas) and Deuce Vaughn (Kansas State) on the finalist list and his selection gives UTSA one in each of the last three years, as Sincere McCormick was a finalist in 2020-21.



The winner will be announced at the award banquet on Jan. 11, 2023, in Tyler. All finalists will be invited to the event and the emcee is Brian Jones, college football studio analyst for CBS Sports and CBS Sports Network.



This honor comes one week after Harris was named Conference USA Most Valuable Player and first-team all-conference at quarterback.



Harris has completed 305 of 429 passes for 3,865 yards, 31 touchdowns and a .711 completion percentage, and he also has rushed for 588 yards — the most by a QB in a season — and nine TDs on 120 carries. The senior from Schertz Clemens High School owns seven 300-yard passing performances this fall — also a UTSA record — and set the single-game mark with 414 in the win at Middle Tennessee.



A four-time C-USA Offensive Player of the Week honoree this season, he ranks fourth nationally with a league-leading 342.5 yards of total offense per game. He was named 2022 Ryan C-USA Championship Game MVP after completing 32 of 37 passes for 341 yards and four touchdowns and rushing for 49 yards and a TD to lead the Roadrunners to their second straight C-USA Championship with a 48-27 win over North Texas on Dec. 2.



The Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award, announced in 2012 by the Tyler Chamber and SPORTyler, recognizes the top offensive player in Division I football who also exhibits the enduring characteristics that define Earl Campbell: integrity, performance, teamwork, sportsmanship, drive, community, and tenacity; specifically, tenacity to persist and determination to overcome adversity and injury in pursuit of reaching goals.



In addition, the nominee must meet one or more of the following criteria: born in Texas and/or graduated from a Texas High School and/or played at a Texas-based junior college or four-year Division 1 Texas college.



For more information about The Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award, go to www.earlcampbellaward.com.



YOU CAN VOTE FOR YOUR FAVORITE FINALIST FOR THE EARL CAMPBELL TYLER ROSE AWARD AT WWW.EARLCAMPBELLAWARD.COM. ONE VOTE DAILY.



-UTSA-

Traylor tabbed Paul “Bear” Bryant Awards Coach of the Year finalist



HOUSTON — UTSA head coach Jeff Traylor has been named a Paul “Bear” Bryant Awards Coach of the Year finalist.



Traylor joins Sonny Dykes (TCU), Willie Fritz (Tulane), Jim Harbaugh (Michigan), Josh Heupel (Tennessee) and Kirby Smart (Georgia) as finalists for the award, which recognizes the country’s top college football coaches for their contributions both on and off the field, making the sport better for athletes and fans alike by demonstrating grit, integrity and a winning approach to coaching and life.



Now in its 37th year, the Coach of the Year award winner will be announced from Houston’s Post Oak Hotel on Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2023, during an awards ceremony presented by Marathon Oil. The live broadcast will air on Bally Sports Southwest sports channel, with proceeds benefiting the American Heart Association, the world’s leading voluntary health organization devoted to a world of longer, healthier lives. The awards will also be re-broadcasted nationwide on Bally Sports’ family of networks. The winner of the Fan Vote will be revealed as well. There is still time to vote until Dec. 16 at https://bryantawards.org/fan-vote/.



“The American Heart Association could not be prouder to recognize these outstanding coaches and the impact they have had both on and off the field,” said Mel Edwards, American Heart Association Houston Senior Vice President and Executive Director. “These finalists truly embody and honor the legacy of ‘Bear’ Bryant, and we wish them the best for the remainder of the season.”



The Coach of the Year award is voted on by the National Sports Media Association, current NCAA college football coaches, former Coach of the Year Award winners, the Bryant Awards’ Executive Leadership Team and the Bryant family.



Last week, Traylor was chosen as one of eight finalists for the Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Award for the second consecutive year. The two-time reigning Conference USA Coach of the Year has led UTSA to an 11-2 record, its second straight C-USA title and a bowl game for the third year in a row. Winners of 10 straight games, the Roadrunners are ranked in three different polls for the second straight year, as they are currently No. 22 in both the Associated Press Top 25 and USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll and 25th in the College Football Playoff rankings.



Taking over a team that won a combined seven games in the two years prior to his arrival, he has led the Roadrunners to a 30-9 record to become the winningest coach in program history in less than three full seasons. UTSA has posted the two best seasons by wins in program history after going 12-2 in 2021 and is one of just three Texas-based FBS schools to win at least 10 games in back-to-back years, joining Baylor and TCU. The Roadrunners are one of only three C-USA teams to go undefeated in league play since 2013, going 8-0 this fall, and they became just the third C-USA team ever to capture two straight crowns after defeating North Texas 48-27 on Dec. 2 to join East Carolina (2008-09) and Western Kentucky (2015-16).



In his debut campaign, Traylor guided the Roadrunners to a 7-5 overall record, a runner-up finish in C-USA’s West Division with a 5-2 mark and an appearance in the First Responder Bowl. The Roadrunners received votes in a national poll for the first time in program history and the seven wins are the most by a first-year UTSA head coach.



UTSA enjoyed a record-setting campaign in Traylor’s second season. The Roadrunners won their first 11 games, were nationally ranked (as high as No. 15) for the first time in school history and captured the program’s first league title by winning the 2021 C-USA Championship with a 49-41 victory over WKU. UTSA capped the season with its second straight and third overall bowl appearance. Traylor was honored for his success as the 2021 C-USA Coach of the Year and AFCA FBS Regional Coach of the Year for Region 4 as well as a finalist for the Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Award, AFCA National Coach of the Year and George Munger College Coach of the Year Award. He also was chosen as the 2021 San Antonio Express-News Sportsman of the Year.



Riding a 10-game winning streak, the Roadrunners will face No. 23 Troy in the Duluth Trading Cure Bowl on Friday, Dec. 16. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m. CT and the game will be televised nationally on ESPN and air on Ticket 760 AM.



-UTSA-